Terps Get Jump on IC4A Field

By Ted LempertMarch 8, 1981

Cornelius Cousins led a long jump sweep for Maryland with a leap of 24 feet 5 inches and Alan Baginski won the 35-pound weight throw with a distance of 62 feet 11 1/4 inches today to give the Terrapins the lead after the second day of the IC4A Indoor track and field championships.

Mount St. Mary's and Pennsylvania are tied for second place with 14 points, 20 behind the Terrapins, who gained 24 points in the long jump under the 10-8-6-4-2-1 scoring format. Villanova, winner of the past four IC4A meets and 17 of the last 24, did not score in the three completed finals but it had not been expected to.

Both Maryland and Villanova lost key performers expected to qualify and gain points Sunday when 15 track finals are contested. Maryland lost high hurdler Darren Walker, forced to scratch from the heats because of an ankle injury suffered in practice Thursday. Villanova's Marcus O'Sullivan, running with a sore knee, finished fifth and failed to qualify for the 1,500-meter final.

In the long jump, Ward Wilson placed second behind Cousins with a jump of 24 feet 2 1/4 inches. Kevin Wilson, no relation, was third at 23 11 3/4. Because of a strained tendon, Cousins used only two of his six allowed jumps in winning.

Georgetown's team of John Sullivan, Brian McNelis, Richard Caton and Phil Reilly recorded the best time (7:41.02) in the two-mile relay semi-finals.

In the 1,500-meter semifinals, Georgetown's John Gregorek (3:52.32) was among the eight qualifiers for today's final.

Navy's John Haugen (2:26.53) and Maryland's Per Kristofferson (2:28.49) qualified for the 1,000-meter final.

Maryland's Chris Person made the 500-meter final in 1:02.86.

Mount St. Mary's share of second came on the strength of Gudmund Olsen's collegiate-record victory with 3,854 points in the pentathlon Friday. o